Books › The Marvels
The Marvels
672 pages
A breathtaking, dual-format journey through time that celebrates the magic of theater, the ache of lost loved ones, and the families we build for ourselves.
What it feels like
Reading this book is a uniquely immersive experience, beginning with a sweeping, cinematic rush of wordless pencil illustrations that pull you through centuries of theatrical history before gently depositing you into a text-based narrative of a lonely boy in 1990s London. The mood is deeply atmospheric, steeped in the cozy, ghostly shadows of an old house filled with secrets, ticking clocks, and lingering memories. It feels like wandering through a museum after hours. The emotional texture shifts from grand, adventurous wonder to a quiet, tender melancholy as the true nature of the house and its inhabitants is revealed. It is a profound, tear-jerking tribute to storytelling, chosen families, and the ways we preserve the people we love, perfect for readers who want to be entirely swallowed by a book's atmosphere.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- ghostly
- nostalgic
- theatrical
- Tone
- earnest
- tender
- melancholic
- wondrous
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the power of storytelling · chosen family · preserving memory · grief and legacy · the magic of theater
- The writing
- The visual narrative is cinematic and sweeping, while the written prose is gentle, precise, and quietly evocative.
- The arc
- Begins with sweeping, silent wonder, transitions into a lonely search for belonging, and culminates in a poignant revelation about love and memory.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love immersive, multimedia storytelling, theatrical history, and tender explorations of chosen family and hidden pasts.
Content notes
- grief
- loss of a loved one
- AIDS epidemic context
- child runaway
About the book
Told in two stand-alone stories, the first nearly 400 pages of continuous pictures, and the second in text. In 1766, a boy, Billy Marvel, is shipwrecked, rescued, and goes on to found a brilliant family of actors that flourishes in London until 1900--and nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis, runs away from home, seeking refuge with his uncle in London, and is captivated by the Marvel house, with its portraits and ghostly presences.
Description from Open Library.
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